Boot-cleaner.



J. P. ORFE.

BOOT CLEANER.

APPLICATION rum) APR. 11, 1908.

909,930. Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

' PV/TNESSES: INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

B Man W4 n: NORRIS FITS!!! co, wasumcrau. n. c.

JOSEPH PHILIPP ORFE, OF RIVERSIDE, NEW JERSEY.

BOOT-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. April 17 1908.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Serial No. 427,580.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH PHILIP]? Onrn, citizen of the United States,residing at Riverside, in the county of Burlington and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boot-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boot cleaners, and especially to that class ofcleaners which are designed to be permanently attached to door steps orporches and by the use of which the mud of the street may be quickly andeffectually removed from boots or shoes, and it consists in theconstructions, combinations and arrangements herein described andclaimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a device which is capable ofthoroughly cleaning not only the bottom of the boot but the sides aswell of accumulated mud and dirt, and to accomplish this quickly andwith very little effort on the part of the user of the device.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device which has fewworking parts, but which is strongly made and not liable to get out oforder.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of my invention, and Fig.9. is a view showing a modified construction.

The cleaner consists in general of a combined brush and scraper. Itcomprises a fiat strip of metal 1 which may be termed the base. Ateither end of the base the metal strip is bent at an angle to form anupwardly and outwardly inclined portion 2. An upwardly and inwardlyinclined extension 3 is formed by bending the upper end of the portion 2at approximately a right angle and then bending the strip back uponitself as shown in Fig. 1. The upper portions 4 of the strip areinclined toward each other for a purpose hereinafter explained. Each ofthese portions 4 bear at their upper ends a brush 5 which is secured tothe strip by means of screws 6 passing through openings in the latter.These brushes are preferably of an elongated shape as shown in Fig. 1,although they may be of any convenient form.

The scraper proper consists of a fiat stri of metal 7 similar to that ofthe base an side members. The strip is bent around each of the sidemembers l, the bent portions constituting loops, which are adapted toretain the scraper 7 in vertically disposed plane and which also providemeans by which the scraper can be moved up or down relatively to thebrushes 5.

In order to retain the scraper 7 in its upper normal position, a curvedspring member 9 is provided. At each end of the member 0 is a tongue 10which is adapted to enter an opening 11 in the lower part of the sidemember i. The end of the spring 9 is arranged to bear on the extension8,while the tongue 10 serves as a guide for the spring during themovement of the latter. As has been already stated the cleaner isdesigned to be placed on a door step or porch and in order to retain itin position, screw holes 12 are provided in the base 1 through whichscrews may be passed to secure the device to the step.

When the cleaner is to be used the boot is placed on the scraper anddownward pressure is exerted on the member 7 While the foot is drawnbackward or pushed forward as in the ordinary manner of removing mud ordirt from the bottom of the boot. The pressure of the scraper on thespring 9 causes the latter to spread and its ends ride outwardly on theextensions 3 While the tongues 10 are forced outwardly through theopenings 11. Owing to the inclination of the side members 4 the downwardmovement of the scraper 7 causes the brushes 5 to move toward each otherslightly thus exerting a lateral pressure against the sides of the boot.Now when the latter is drawn backward or pushed forward the mud and dirtis effectually removed from the sides by the action of the brushes aswell as from the bottom by the action of the scraper. Moreover when theboot is first placed between the brushes and downward pressure exerted,the brushes bear against the boot in its downward movement, the effectbeing to remove part of the mud, the remainder being completely removedwhen the boot is drawn backward.

It will thus be seen that I have designed a device which operateseffectively in cleaning both the bottom and sides of shoes or boots whenused in the manner of an ordinary scraper.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modified form of the device which may be usedto advantage with a wide step. In this form the base l is extended ateach end and is bent back upon itself at 13 to form a securing flangeand is then bent upwardly and inwardly to form the side member 4?. Thespring member 9 is arranged to bear on the upper side of the base 1 thetongue 10 passing through the opening 11 in the same manner as inFig. 1. ()ne advantage of the form of the device lies in the facilitywith which it may be secured to its permanent base. The flanges 13 areperforated to admit screws 15 and a straight drive may be had for thesescrews since there is nothing im mediately above them to interfere. Inthe form shown in Fig. 2 the scraper and brushes are brought nearer tothe base and the device is therefore rendered more stable.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. In a boot cleaning device, frame having resilient sidemembers, a pair of opposed brushes secured to the extremities of saidside members, a scraper slidably secured to said side members and aspring member adapted to engage said scraper and having reduced endportions arranged to project through openings in said side members.

2. In a boot cleaning device, a frame having a pair of resilient sidemembers, inclined toward each other a pair of opposed brushes secured tothe extremities of said side members, a scraper having its ends loopedaround said side members and slidable with respect thereto, a curvedspring disposed between said side members and having reduced endportions adapted to pass through openings in said side members, saidspring being arranged to retain said scraper in a normally elevatedposition.

3. In a boot cleaning device, a frame having resilient side members, apair of opposed brushes secured 'to the extremities of said sidemembers, a scraper slidably secured to said side members, and a springmember arranged to retain said scraper in a normally elevated position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH PHILIPP ORFE.

lVitnesses:

JAMES J. GROGAN, WM. BENDKOST.

